Thursday, October 9, 2014

The Dirty Dozen and Bottom of the Barrel: Surprise, Surprise, Surprise

Well, last weekend sure was interesting...



More interesting than a Gomer Pyle clip, that's for sure...

Yeah, you might say there were a few "Upset" games last week in College Football and, well, you wouldn't be wrong.

If nothing else, the past week of College Football action proves that the alleged "committee" that is going to pick the 4 playoff teams, has a tough task ahead of them because quite honestly, there are a lot of really good teams, but not really any great ones...



What wasn't so awesome last week--our picks. Yeah, sure, we went 9-5 moving us to 56-10 on the season, which, well...actually is pretty awesome, but we hate to admit we missed 5 games. Though we did pick Mississippi State to beat Texas A&M...and we were right.

So with that in mind, this weeks poll looks almost nothing like last weeks. Yay! Easily the game of the week coming up is Auburn and Mississippi State. That, should be fun to watch.

With that in mind, in the words of the immortal Casey Kasem, let's get "On With the Countdown"

THE DIRTY DOZEN:

1) Florida State 5-0. Yeah, we know. They haven't been amazing this season. And we aren't sold that this is your best team in all the land. But they are defending champs.

Tell 'em Naitch--



And he's right because there is a good chance the Noles run the table. (This Week: at Syracuse, Our Pick: FSU 45, Cuse 31)

2) Auburn 5-0. Is this your best team in all the land? Maybe. But, they also have the misfortune of playing in the SEC West which IS the best division in all the land. And unfortunately, they have a large part of that schedule left. Time to step it up. (This Week: at Miss St., Our Pick: Auburn 28, Miss St. 23)

3) Mississippi St. 5-0. Yes, a Mississippi team at #3. And it's not the one that beat 'Bama. It's the better one that beat LSU and Texas A&M. Yes, they've been one of the best stories in College Football this year. But with one of College Football's worst pass defenses can they keep it up? We don't think so. (This Week: See above)

4) Ole Miss 5-0. I know. 2 Mississippi teams in the top 4. Go figure. We're pretty sure this is a sign of the Zombie Apocalypse. But this is a very good team that beat Alabama. A VERY GOOD defensive team. They may be the Mississippi team that survives or not. (This Week: at Texas A&M, Our Pick: Ole Miss 27, Aggies 21)

5) Baylor 5-0. We don't love the Bears as much as some other pollsters do. But they're undefeated in the the Big 9 (12), so they get top billing. They've lit up scoreboards and the defense has done well, but they really haven't played anyone of note either. That changes now. (This Week: vs. TCU, Our Pick: TCU 31, Baylor 30 UPSET ALERT!!)

6) TCU 4-0. This is probably your best team in the Big 9(12). They played extremely well against Oklahoma. It wasn't a total shock the Horned Frogs won. And we think Gary Patterson is and has been one of CFB's best coaches for a long time. (This Week: see Above)

7) Notre Dame 5-0. Another good, but we aren't sure if they are great team. Yes, we know, they beat Stanford, which is great for them. But really, outside of that, we haven't been impressed. But the schedule is VERY favorable. We may see them again in the playoff whether they are worthy or not. (This Week: vs. North Carolina, Our Pick: Notre Dame 37, UNC 17) 

8) Alabama 4-1. Our first 1 loss team. We haven't been on the bandwagon this year, because while very good, this mixed marriage of Saban and Kiffykins has question marks attached. Though admittedly, Kiffy's offense has been pretty good. They are still better than most. Period. (This Week: at Arkansas, Our Pick: Bama 34, Arkansas 21)

9) Arizona 5-0. Yes folks, that Rich Rod guy can coach. This isn't a flashy or crazy good team, but they are winning. They figured out how to beat Oregon...at Oregon. Not easy. The schedule gets a bit easier and it IS possible they run the table, though the #112 ranked pass defense needs to improve. (This Week: vs. USC, Our Pick: Arizona 41, USC 37)

10) Oklahoma 4-1. Let's see, Sooner coach Bob Stoops has been mouthing about the SEC. And he's been talking up his conference. And then his team goes and gets beat by a good not great TCU. Sound familiar? But they are Oklahoma so they get pollster love. (This Week: vs. Texas, Our Pick: Oklahoma 37, Texas 21)

11) Michigan St. 4-1. Is Sparty the best of the B1G? Maybe. Are the Spartans a playoff team? We aren't convinced. They've been very good against crappy competition, they got beat by an ok Oregon team and pushed by a decent Nebraska. No challenges ahead until they play Ohio State. (This Week: at Purdue, Our Pick: Sparty 43, Purdue 10)

12) Georgia 4-1. Yeah, sure, we're playing semi-homer here. But any team with Todd Gurley has a chance to win no matter who they play. Sure, I have a better arm than the QB and despite a questionable defense, Huston Mason may be what keeps the 'Dawgs from a title shot. (This Week: at Missouri, Our Pick: Gurley Men 37, Mizzou 31)

THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL:



**ED NOTE**---Congrats to the Miami (OH) Redhawks for winning their first game after 31 straight losses. And they came back from a 41-14 deficit to do it. Impressive boys. You have escaped the island. Now win a few and stay off it....

5) Kent State 0-5. They've come close, but thus far, no, they haven't been able to beat anyone. The Golden Flashes can't run the ball, but otherwise they aren't embarrassingly bad. And with a game vs. UMass approaching, they may bet off the schnide. (This Week: vs. UMass, Our Pick: Kent St. 38, UMass 28)

4) Idaho 0-5. Yup, the Vandals managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory when they threw an interception late in their loss to Texas State while driving for a potential game winning score. But that is par as they say. (This Week: heh-heh at Ga.Southern, Our Pick: Ga. Southern 47, Idaho 14)

3) Troy 0-5. Poor Larry Blankney. He's retiring after leading the Trojans to huge success over the past 25-years. And then this years version ends up being a stinker. They had a chance last week to beat La.Monroe, but lost on a late Field Goal. (This Week: vs. New Mexico St., Our Pick: NM State 37, Troy 33)

2) SMU 0-5. The good news...the Ponies scored double figures vs. East Carolina, tallying 24 points. The bad--they gave up 45 and still lost badly. Props to them for doubling their point production for the year. (This Week: BYE)

1) UMass 0-5. Oh boy. They've had two chances to win and blown both of them. How do you get a 41-14 lead over Miami (OH) and lose 42-41? That is really, really hard to do. Yet they did it and will remain at the bottom until they can prove something...anything to us. (This Week: see #5)

Because we said so:

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